Dame Joan Ruddock MP today condemned the TSA process, saying that “Lewisham should never have been dragged into this process”. The MP said that the Secretary of State’s announcement that Lewisham’s maternity services would be downgraded and the A&E reduced would be “unacceptable in Lewisham”.

She said:

“The only reason the Secretary of State has not accepted the TSA proposals in full is because of the total opposition of the vast majority of local consultants, local GPs including the GP Commissioning Group and over 50,000 local people who actively opposed the closure of Lewisham A&E and downgrading of maternity services

“Today’s proposals are a sham and a shambles and totally unacceptable.

“The rushed TSA process and its botched consultation are not suitable for the major reconfiguration the Secretary of State proposes.

“ I am calling on the Secretary of State to allow the GP Commissioning Group to do the job they were set up to do - to consult properly about the proposed merger between Lewisham and Woolwich in a way that meets the clinical needs of the people of Lewisham

“I am also looking for financial assurances that Lewisham will not be dragged into a new unsustainable trust.”